Let's talk about DexCool...
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 396
Likes: 0
Let's talk about Dex Cool... Okay, I don't have the owner's manual in front of me but I believe the manual calls for 100k miles between changes on the Dex Cool stuff, right? I'm sure you guys are changing it more often then that. My car is a '00 so it's 5 years old but it only has 9k miles on it...should I change the stuff? And also has anyone gone back to the traditional green stuff, and if so, do you need an entire flush and all of that before switching? Thanks.
Go ahead and change it, it can't hurt. You should be doing a routine maintenance of changing the fluids every year. Even if you don't drive it that much, the worst that will happen is that the engine will live even longer. In terms of the green stuff, it corrodes the aluminum of our engines. Dex Cool is formulated to shy away from doing that.
yea if u use other than Dex cool I've actually heard of people sayin it eats up the seals in the motor and whatnot.....I dunno though...I just changed mine at 50k miles Never hurts to be sure :p
ive heard mostly opposite of traditional green stuff. that dex-cool is more commonly the one that becomes corrosive over time if not changed regularly.
ive also been aware of many law suites with GM over dex-cool not living up to its claim.
if you have ever heard dex-cool refered to as 'dex-clog' it is actually possible for it to gel up if not changed prior to its 100k mile rating and cause damage to the cooling system.
my .02 fwiw
ive also been aware of many law suites with GM over dex-cool not living up to its claim.
if you have ever heard dex-cool refered to as 'dex-clog' it is actually possible for it to gel up if not changed prior to its 100k mile rating and cause damage to the cooling system.
my .02 fwiw
Originally Posted by 8-Pack
You cannot use regular antifreeze in our cooling system. Your best bet is to check it and if it dosent look good then change it, most people change it alot sooner then 100k.
Staging Lane
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by ArcticZ28
Go ahead and change it, it can't hurt. You should be doing a routine maintenance of changing the fluids every year. Even if you don't drive it that much, the worst that will happen is that the engine will live even longer. In terms of the green stuff, it corrodes the aluminum of our engines. Dex Cool is formulated to shy away from doing that.
what he said. green bad...orange good. plus, changing it sooner can't hurt!
Trending Topics
Many people switch to the green stuff because dexcool can become corrosive over time. But you have to do a complete flush, you can not do any mixing. Lots of dexcool humping in here lol.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Topdon ONE vs. Artidiag 800 BT2: Which is the Diagnostic Tablet For You?
Pouria Savadkouei
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...m_dexcool.html
i personally am still running dexcool, but when its time to switch im going to use honda radiator fluid. ya ya ya blah blah damn ricers whatever, the truth is dexcool sucks, and honda rad fluid is an excellent replacement, it is silicate free so it doesnt erode alumnium (duh, practically all honda engines are aluminum) and in my experience it has help up very well. smells good too, and its blue. later!
Jeremy
i personally am still running dexcool, but when its time to switch im going to use honda radiator fluid. ya ya ya blah blah damn ricers whatever, the truth is dexcool sucks, and honda rad fluid is an excellent replacement, it is silicate free so it doesnt erode alumnium (duh, practically all honda engines are aluminum) and in my experience it has help up very well. smells good too, and its blue. later!
Jeremy
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 580
Likes: 0
From: The Republic of Texas
Flushing the cooling system once a year is a good idea regardless of milage claims by any manufacturer; corrosion, scaling, and deposits buildup over a short period and changing the coolant is just smart maint. Just like you change your oil on a regular basis, so should trans. fluid, differential fluid, coolant be changed on a regular schedule and usually much sooner then the manufacturer calls for. All of these break down ie lose viscosity, ability to absorb and release heat over time.
I see this every day at work with people who refuse to change any of these fluids and then wonder why their cooling system is filled with sludge, their trans took a dump, and their rear ends are shot. Preventive maint is ALWAYS cheaper than fixing a problem caused by neglect. Just my .02
I see this every day at work with people who refuse to change any of these fluids and then wonder why their cooling system is filled with sludge, their trans took a dump, and their rear ends are shot. Preventive maint is ALWAYS cheaper than fixing a problem caused by neglect. Just my .02
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,231
Likes: 1
From: Just This Side of Damnation
What IS DEXCOOL.
What everybody else says about DEXCOOL.
DEXCOOL is at least as good as the green stuff for modern engines. It was designed to better transfer heat, reduce silicate gel & scale, and increase water pump life. The big problem with it is that it is so easily contaminated. Simply putting tap water in it to top it off will reduce its service life. I've heard that simply letting coolant level fall and getting outside air into everything will contaminate it.
But it's easy to beat once you know those things. Keep it topped off with distilled water, change it at approx 3 year intervals, and you should be as good as with the green stuff.
What everybody else says about DEXCOOL.
DEXCOOL is at least as good as the green stuff for modern engines. It was designed to better transfer heat, reduce silicate gel & scale, and increase water pump life. The big problem with it is that it is so easily contaminated. Simply putting tap water in it to top it off will reduce its service life. I've heard that simply letting coolant level fall and getting outside air into everything will contaminate it.
But it's easy to beat once you know those things. Keep it topped off with distilled water, change it at approx 3 year intervals, and you should be as good as with the green stuff.
Last edited by Mr Incredible; May 24, 2005 at 04:38 PM.
DEX COOL is crap. It corrodes very easy. It should not be mixed with green. It is crap crap crap 
My wifes blazer is a mess inside the colling system from this crap. Once it gets exposed to air it goes all to hell real quick.
My wifes blazer is a mess inside the colling system from this crap. Once it gets exposed to air it goes all to hell real quick.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 669
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte, NC
use what your car calls for. Period. Dex cool is designed to work on newer cars that use more alum in thier construction. people have issues with dexcool because they don't know how to use it correctly. It's not teh dex cool that corrodes. It's the water that people use. Thats why you MUST refill with distilled water and no additives.
TECH Resident
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 827
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, TX
Originally Posted by HBHRacing
use what your car calls for. Period. Dex cool is designed to work on newer cars that use more alum in thier construction. people have issues with dexcool because they don't know how to use it correctly. It's not teh dex cool that corrodes. It's the water that people use. Thats why you MUST refill with distilled water and no additives.
Case in point: A 97 Astro at work. Pulled the radiator cap off and it looked like a couple inches of red sludge at the top. Cleaned that out and everything else looked brand new inside. Cause of the problem? No coolant in the overflow and had been low for some time. Even though the problem looked bad and the Dexcool "looked" like it was corroding like hell.....it wasn't by any means.